


When We Split...

by ZaccRiseC3P



Series: Songs That Tell a Story [2]
Category: RWBY
Genre: Angst with a Happy Ending, M/M, Mutual Pining, Song: Not over You (Tessa Violet), Songfic, these two idiots broke up and they're equally sad about it
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-03-13
Updated: 2021-03-13
Packaged: 2021-03-21 14:28:39
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,529
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/30023196
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ZaccRiseC3P/pseuds/ZaccRiseC3P
Summary: It's been a while since Qrow and Oz have even spoken, which makes it very startling indeed when Oz gets a call from the huntsman in the middle of the day asking if he wants to get coffee.  What could this mean for them?
Relationships: Qrow Branwen/Ozpin
Series: Songs That Tell a Story [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2149989
Kudos: 8





	When We Split...

**Author's Note:**

> Hello! This is the second installment of a series of songfics (all of which, as of this moment, are Cloqwork. Because I'm predictable.) This one is special, however, because it was a collab with my friend @[otterdoesart](http://otterdoesart.tumbr.com)! Please go check them out, they are amazing, you can find the piece they made for this fic [here](https://zacs-of-rwby.tumblr.com/post/645578072809144320/not-over-you-by-tessa-violet)!

**You call me up, say that you've been busy  
But something made you just reach out**

Having too much on his mind meant one thing for Ozpin: work to forget. It slowed his thoughts, gave him something else to focus on. Sometimes he focused so much he lost track of everything else. Which was why, as he sat at his desk, pouring over the week’s progress reports, he didn’t think twice when his scroll rang. Without looking up, he reached over and grabbed the device.

As he lifted the receiver to his mouth he greeted, “Professor Ozpin speaking.”

“Oh,” the caller said, startled. Oz’s heart jumped into his throat. “You- you picked up. I was just gonna drop a voice mail or something.”

“Qrow, I- um…”

The last person Oz expected to hear from was waiting on the other end of the line for an answer. It was a voice the headmaster hadn’t heard in almost three months. It almost didn’t seem possible.

“Yeah, I’m sorry for calling like this, I’ve been,” Qrow broke off for a second, “busy, I guess…”

Oz tapped his desk nervously, trying to figure out what to say next. “What made you reach out now?”

“I’m… not sure,” the huntsman admitted. “Maybe this was a mistake, I’ll just let you get back to-”

“No! No, it’s fine.”

 _Dear gods, please tell me that didn’t sound as desperate as it felt,_ Oz pleaded. He quite literally bit his tongue, trying with all his will power not to make another sound.

“Ok…” Qrow hesitated, “well, I was actually calling to- to see if you, I don’t know, wanted to go for coffee or something…”

“I would really like that, yes,” Oz answered honestly, the tension in his jaw releasing.

“Cool. Our usual place then?”

Another piece of a shattered past.

_Our place…_

“Of course,” Oz said, his usual confidence returned. “Shall we say twelve o’clock?”

“Works for me.”

“See you, then.”

“See ya, Oz.”

Slowly, Oz pressed “end call” and gently placed the scroll on his desk. As he sat back in his chair, trying to relax, a storm brewed in his head.

Why did Qrow want to meet?

What did this mean for them? For their relationship?

Presumably, it could mean a myriad of things. Finality. Revitalization. Would this be the end or the beginning of something new?

Oz was getting ahead of himself. After all, it was just a coffee date. He took off his glasses and tried to rub the sleep out of his eyes. Maybe it would also calm the unrelenting madness in his mind.

No such luck.

No matter how hopeful he was, he couldn’t forget that they had been down this road before. The “on-again-off-again” formula never sat well with the headmaster. His heartbeat became a little heavier, faster.

_Thump thump. Thump thump._

In the end, Qrow had done what Oz didn’t have the stones to do: reach out. Offer an olive branch of sorts. So what was next? They were going to find out. For better or worse.

**And we meet up, tell each other stories  
'Bout how we've been since we last talked**

Waves lapped the shore, hitting the high walls of the dock. Every splash grated on Qrow’s nerves. Sitting on the balcony of the cafe where Oz used to bring him on their dates already had him on edge.

As he sat at their usual table, he picked at the skin on his hand and his leg bounced up and down rapidly. It was stupid, but he hoped Oz would appreciate the gesture. They both always liked this spot. Oz appreciated the familiarity, Qrow liked the view. It was a small thing they could share.

But now the view did little to placate Qrow’s growing anxiety.

 _Will Oz even show? Maybe he’ll bail last minute._

Qrow wouldn’t blame him if he did. Things did not exactly end smoothly between the two of them.

It was always the same old story. Qrow would drink, Oz would work. Eventually, one of them would get tired of the other and break it off. This time it wasn’t so much “broken off” as it was “shattered into a million pieces.” A full blown screaming match which concluded with what Qrow had assumed was an unspoken agreement to never try again.

And yet, everytime they ended it, Qrow felt an emptiness. Everytime they ended it, a piece of the puzzle would disappear. Everytime they ended it, he felt like something was missing. Was it possible that Oz felt the same?

The simple fact that he agreed to meet suggested the answer could potentially be “yes.” 

Finally, Qrow looked up to see the man of the hour. A smile of relief tugged at his lips. He stood up as Oz approached and greeted, “Hey, you made it.”

“Yes, I’m sorry, I lost track of time.”

“Somethings never change.”

Oz forced a smile as the two stood in silence for a moment. The tension was so thick it could have been cut with a knife.

“Uh, well, guess we can sit now,” Qrow offered at last.

“Yes, of course.”

The pair took a seat, and Qrow took a shot at jump-starting the conversation. “So uh, how have you been?”

“Oh, I’ve been alright,” Oz said with a slight nod.

What did it say about Qrow that he was almost upset that Oz was doing so well?

It wasn’t fair.

The huntsman had been a drunk wreck since they split up. Hell, he almost showed up to this date drunk- too scared to face the reality of their situation sober. But he held it together, just barely. He knew that if he had even a trace of alcohol on him then the chances of this date being successful would have dropped to zero. He had to come sober. For Oz.

“Good, good,” Qrow slowly nodded.

“And you?”

“Same,” the avian man lied. “I’ve been… fine.”

_I couldn’t have been even a little more convincing?_

If there was one thing Oz knew how to do, it was read Qrow’s tone of voice like the back of his hand. There was no way that fib got passed him.

Silence fell over them like a heatwave- uncomfortable, suffocating, difficult to escape. Qrow caught sight of Oz’s right hand, gripping the handle of the Long Memory tight, his knuckles white as snow. His thumb anxiously rubbed the hilt, like a metronome stuck on the slowest setting.

“How are the girls?” Oz asked suddenly.

“Oh,” Qrow blinked, caught off guard. “They’re doing great. No surprise.”

A silent nod from Oz indicated he agreed.

“They miss you, though,” Qrow heard himself add. “I- uh, I didn’t have the heart to tell them why you weren’t around anymore.”

“Nice to know I made an impression on them,” Oz hummed.

“Yeah, well… they’re uh… they’re not the only ones who missed you.”

Oz’s tight lipped, forced smile softened. His eyes became lighter, kinder, returning to their more natural state. Qrow cursed himself. How was it possible for him to find such comfort in one man’s smile?

“I missed you, too, Qrow.”

Qrow’s lungs relaxed, the tension in his shoulders dissipated, like the admission that they both felt the same way took a blow torch to the uncertainty that had kept them on ice.  
Suddenly, Qrow leaned into the conversation and asked Oz about work. At first he got a short answer, which made him feel like he misread the interaction. However, after Oz remembered that he never got a chance to tell Qrow about a little prank some of the students pulled a couple weeks ago it became apparent that he was right to relax. Oz told the story with his usual amusing charm and was able to get a laugh out of Qrow several times. Naturally, the tale offered Qrow an opportunity to reminisce about the pranks STRQ used to pull while they were at Beacon.

As Oz raised his mug up to his lips, he chuckled, “You four were such a headache.”

“And yet you always let us off the hook.”

Oz put his drink down. “Would punishment have deterred you at all?”

“Probably not,” Qrow shrugged.

“So why bother?”

A light laugh floated between them, and Qrow couldn’t believe how naturally the conversation flowed from there. Almost like nothing had ever changed…

**Our coffee date moves into the evening  
We wonder how it got so late  
We walk around and I keep asking how  
I don't know better by now**

“Oh dear, would you look at that,” Oz sighed, his gaze falling on the horizon.

The golden glow emanating from the water in the harbor was a breathtaking sight, but it was not the detail Oz was referring to. He was taken aback by what it meant.

_Time sure does fly._

“We sat here so long because you don’t know the meaning of the word ‘brevity,’” Qrow teased.

“Oh, please, you’ve been talking more than I have.”

Sarcastically, Qrow pressed a hand against his chest and proclaimed, “Well. I know how much you love the sound of my voice.”

Oz sat perfectly still, eyes narrowed, a playful smirk stuck on his face.

“What?” Qrow asked.

“If I objected to your statement I’d be lying so I’m trying to come up with a suitable comeback,” Oz explained. “I suppose I’ll have to concede defeat on this one.”

Pink blossomed on Qrow’s cheeks as he lifted his arm behind his head and rubbed the back of his neck. Oz grabbed his mug and finished off what was now his third cup of hot chocolate as he watched Qrow try to find his bearings again. Even after all this time, a sense of accomplishment still left a warm feeling in Oz’s chest at the sight. Like if he messed up anything else, at least he knew he could do something right.

Finally, Qrow cleared his throat and attempted to change the subject. “You know, the day’s not over yet. We could still walk around town. If you want.”

“Perhaps a walk could do us both some good.”

A smile grew on Qrow’s face as he stood up and offered an outstretched hand. As Oz reached out to take it, a voice in the back of his mind (that was most decidedly his own) wondered, _When will I ever learn?_

Hand in hand, the pair left the cafe and stepped out onto the streets of Vale. They strolled down the sidewalk, continuing their conversation. In fact, the outing gave a whole new meaning to the phrase “taking a walk down memory lane.” As they made their way through town, Qrow was reminded of several team trips to the city from his Beacon days, which he told in detail. Of course, Oz had his own stories to tell, some from former lives, some from his own, and even some that he simply read about but found fascinating enough to regale anyway. The height of the evening came when they both pointed out the restaurant where they had their first real date. Oz’s hand twitched in Qrow’s and he hoped the huntsman didn’t notice. He couldn’t help but wonder if he would remember that date with fondness or regret as the years went by. Right now, it seemed to be a bit of both.

**You're the one it's gotta be and I  
Gotta get ya next to me  
You try but you can't shake me  
I think we're going crazy  
Keep saying that we're through, but baby, I'm not over you**

As the night wound down, the sky opened up. They were not three steps from the door of Qrow’s apartment building when the rain started to fall.

It didn’t matter.

“Today was nice,” Oz hummed as they stopped in front of the door.

“Yeah… yeah, it was,” Qrow said, a tinge of sadness in his voice. It was nice, why was he sad? As he leaned against the wall, refusing to walk into the apartment building and officially cut the cord, he realized where the feeling came from.

He didn’t _want_ it to end.

“Oz, what are we doing?” Qrow asked through a heavy sigh.

“We’re ending our day out, Qrow.”

“You know what I mean.”

Silence overtook them, the rhythmic pitter-patter of rain the only sound that could be heard. Water dripped down the headmaster’s face as he stood, his hands resting on the hilt of his cane. No answer came. Qrow decided to press a little harder. “Are we- is it possible that we could… Is it so crazy if we try again?”

“Actually, it is,” Oz lamented. “Trying the same thing over and over again and expecting a different result-”

“Is the definition of insanity, I know, you’ve used that one on me before,” Qrow rolled his eyes.

An acknowledging smile tugged at the corners of Oz’s lips. Yet again, Qrow cursed himself for how much comfort and warmth he found in Oz’s smile, even in the freezing, pouring rain. A shiver ran up his spine, his clothes were soaked through, his hair was plastered to his forehead, and yet, all he could think about was that damn smile. More than anything, he wanted that smile to be his again.

“Look, I’m not stupid,” he chimed in. “I know it’s not gonna be easy. It’ll probably take a lot of work but it… It’s work I’m willing to do.”

Oz’s eyes darted to the ground.

“I need you, Oz,” Qrow continued. “I think about you all the time.”

That’s all it took for Oz’s gaze to return.

“Over these past few months I’ve accepted that if- If I can’t make it work with you then I might as well give up. I just- I’m not over you. And at this rate… I never will be.”

Again, the rain engulfed them. Oz stared back with dull, almost lifeless eyes.

“I want to try again. I really do,” he finally answered. “But how many times do we have to go down this road before we accept that it’s not traversable?”  
Qrow shrugged. “My proposal is we give it one more go. See if we can’t build a bridge or something.”

Another little smile, this time accompanied by a laugh. A pain swelled in Qrow’s chest at the sound. He wanted that laugh to be his again, too.

“If you’re truly willing to work at it-”

“I am,” Qrow interjected, slowly closing the gap between them.

“- then I would be willing to do the same.”

As soon as Oz voiced his agreement, Qrow closed his eyes and went in for a kiss. Part of him expected to hear a voice say “no,” but instead he felt soft, warm, lips fit perfectly together with his. Heavy rain drops continued to tap their faces as they held onto each other, refusing to separate. Finally, Qrow pulled away and rested his forehead against Oz’s.

“One more time,” Oz emphasized.

“One more time,” Qrow repeated. “That’s all we need.”

He did it, that smile was his again. And this time it looked like it was hiding something just beneath the surface. Something that only Qrow could glimpse.

Hope.

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you so much for reading! Yes, these two are angsty, but i refuse to give them a sad ending, goddamnit XD if you enjoyed this story I have plenty more. You can find me on Tumblr @[zacs-of-rwby](http://zacs-of-rwby.tumblr.com). One more shout out to @[otterdoesart](http://otterdoesart.tumblr.com), as well! Please go check them out, their art is adorable! :D


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